The Black Sea mullet, the photo of which is in this article, has several subspecies. This fish is caught from mid-summer until the onset of October cold weather. This is one of the most famous and sought after fish of the Black Sea. Mullet is very tasty, so a regular in the dishes of Sevastopol restaurants.
Description of the mullet
The body of the mullet is elongated, resembling a torpedo. The back is flattened, so the nose of the fish is in line with the dorsal fin. The mullet is colored gray, on the abdomen - with a silvery tint. The back is darker than the sides, which are covered with longitudinal black stripes.
The scales are rounded, large. The mullet has two dorsal and ventral fins, gill and anal, with silvery patches. The tail is dark grey, with clearly visible notches.
Due to the shape of the body, the Black Sea mullet fish is very mobile and maneuverable. Her head is small, with a sharp nose. The eyes are large, with fat wide eyelids. The mouth is small and toothless, with a pointed lower lip. The mullet can grow up to 90 centimeters. The smallest fish is 40 cm. Weightmullet can reach 7 kilograms. She lives from 12 to 15 years.
Types of mullet
The Black Sea mullet is one of the most famous Black Sea fish. Indigenous subspecies are golden mullet, sharp nose and the famous striped mullet.
Pelengas is an "emigrant" brought to the Black Sea from Japan. This had to be done due to a sharp decline in the population, since a lot of this fish was caught. Pelengas is distinguished by its unpretentiousness; in a short time it found its habitat in the waters of the Black Sea. Initially, the locals were unhappy and were very hostile towards the new "tenant", worried that because of him the population of the native mullet would decrease or disappear altogether. But their worries were in vain. Thanks to the timely launch of the mullet into the Black Sea, the population of the indigenous inhabitants of sea waters is now recovering.
Loban is the most common of the subspecies. It is much larger than other types of mullet and is fast growing. At the age of five, it usually reaches 50 centimeters in length and weighs 2.5 kilograms. But there are also very large individuals. They grow up to 90 centimeters and weigh almost seven kilograms. They are excellent swimmers and can develop great speed as soon as they sense danger. Fish spawn from May to August.
Singil is the most numerous subspecies of mullet. But in size it is much inferior to striped mullet. Basically, the singil weighs no more than a kilogram, reaches 35 centimeters in length. In terms of nutrition and behavior, the mullet does not differ from other subspecies, but here are migrations to estuariesits longer. This is the main commercial fish of the Black Sea.
Ostronos is the smallest subspecies of the mullet. Its maximum weight reaches only half a kilogram, and its length is 25 centimeters. Otherwise, it is no different from other subspecies in behavior and nutrition.
Habitats
The habitat of the mullet is wide. This is a sea fish. The Black Sea mullet lives mainly in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as in the Sea of Japan and the Black Sea. Prefers sub- and tropical latitudes. In Russia, the most common species are striped mullet, golden mullet and pelengas.
Mullet lives in estuaries, seas and estuaries. Sometimes leaves in fresh waters (during spawning). But spends the winter in the seas. Mullet does not migrate over long distances, prefers familiar places, moves only in large flocks.
Behavior and nutrition
Black Sea mullet is a schooling fish that prefers warm water, but not higher than 35 degrees. She is not afraid of the s alt contained in the water, and the amount of oxygen in it. The most unpretentious type of mullet is pelengas. It feeds mainly on bottom silt, which contains many nutrients. To diversify their diet, this fish feeds on zooplankton, worms and small invertebrates.
Spawning
Maturation of females occurs in the eighth or ninth year of life. During this period, they reach 40 cm in length. Males mature a couple of years earlier than females. For feeding, the Black Sea mullet goes to estuaries, bays and river lower reaches. There, the fish first feeds abundantly, then returns to spawn (June-September) back to the sea.
Females shed their pelagic eggs in warm sandy shallows. The fertility of this fish is low. In one brood, there can be a maximum of only seven thousand eggs. After spawning, the fish again leave to feed, although most of them remain at sea for the winter.
What is dangerous
Like any fish, the mullet is periodically exposed to diseases. Together with the silt, the fish also swallows the eggs of helminths. Some of them are common parasites, but there are also life-threatening ones (anisakids). Therefore, it is necessary to carefully examine and reject the mullet with whitish inclusions in the internal organs and muscles. In any case, it is better to further process the fish - s alt it or heat it.
Black Sea mullet: fishing and its features
Caught everywhere for industrial scale. In summer, fish bite well in estuaries and estuaries. Fishing is carried out at a depth of up to three to five meters. Catching a mullet from anglers is considered an art. There are ten different ways of fishing, some of them are prohibited by law. The most popular and best fishing options are donk or float.
Despite the fact that the Black Sea mullet has several subspecies, they all look for food in the bottom layers, lead a single lifestyle and swim in flocks. This fish is caught mainly on worms, nereis and sandworms. They can be found on the coast at low tide or simply bought in fishing shops. Most wellthe mullet has been pecking since the beginning of August. At this time, the fish swims directly to the shore to eat well before wintering.
You need to look for mullet on the coast, joining a crowd of fishermen concentrated in one place. In a more deserted place, the bite may not be so successful. For fishing, you need to choose a coast with a rocky or pebble bottom. Silt just lingers there, which this fish feeds on.
Fishing will be more successful if you feed the mullet a few days before fishing. Fresh white bread (a couple of loaves) is great for this. It must be broken and lowered into the water for half a minute. Then it just grinds to a thick sticky mass. 150 grams of processed cheese and some small pebbles are added (no more than a third of the whole bait). Then baits are molded. In a few days, the mullet will get used to the fact that there is always food here, and by the time of fishing, the whole flock will swim in this place.
